By Leslie Edelman

The U.S. House of Representatives and then the Senate approved a one-year extension of the Special Diabetes Program (SDP), in large part, due to the strength and efforts of JDRF’s grassroots advocates. With each online ‘click’ we keep our mission for a better T1D outcomes on the forefront of the conversation. Our ask is simple; we want a world without T1D, and meanwhile, we want the best management possible.

Advocacy is one of the many volunteer opportunities at JDRF, and a great way to share our stories. In fact, our stories are the foundation of advocacy. Without our voices, how would our representatives know the names and faces of who has been diagnosed, how it affects the whole family and how much work we do on a daily basis to manage diabetes or struggle with insurance?

Under the mountain of potential bills to pass, how would our legislators know that the SPD helps keep critical clinical trials going? And, how would they know that we’re listening and watching them? The conversation that advocacy inspires helps to keep everyone engaged and accountable. And honestly, what I love learning about is the vision that keeps everything moving in the right direction. Advocacy critically supports the entire pipeline at JDRF and every story matters.

My cohort Elena Lipkins and I just returned from GR Day in Washington DC. Each year, JDRF assembles and activates hundreds of people from around the country to participate in GR Day. We spend the first day in hotel sessions learning about the latest updates in research, progress with SDP and additionally how we recruit and educate advocates in our chapters. After synthesizing the latest information, we ‘hit the hill’ to meet with our representatives or their health aides to impress our personal stories and remind them what our ‘ask’ is.

Its a great feeling to be walking through the halls of congress, not as a spectator, but as an engaged citizen with a story and a mission. Representatives want to know their constituents, they want to know what’s important to you. Whenever we meet, we aim to strike a chord, either through personal connections to diabetes or because as public servants, listening to our stories they are moved by the best social media there is; authentic communication.

This was Elena’s first year, and over our two days on Capitol Hill, we had 11 meetings with Congressional and Senate offices. We found our communications groove pretty quickly, sometimes you may only have 5-10 minutes to articulate and impress, and you need to be ready to moderate depending on how long or who you’re meeting with. I generally start the meeting by saying ‘Thank You’ and what’s changed from year to year, then Elena would jump in; “Im new to this, but after one year of helping to manage my daughters diabetes….” and she would list the number of BG checks, the set changes, and amount of night-time checks and it was obvious to everyone, in a short time she had become a champion for diabetes and neither of us is going away until there is a cure.

In our Senate meetings we teamed up with people from all over California. Each year, there are new faces, new stories and a different dynamic to the group; parents, medical professionals, and many with T1D, our diverse experience gives us all a role in shaping the importance of our mission. This year, with ‘selfies’ being all the rage – we had fun socializing our meetings and touting our representatives online. In the Greater Bay Area, we are fortunate to have the type of support and frankly, leadership we need in office. Our representatives are all members of the Diabetes Caucus, they all sign on to the letters we ask them to, and understand the importance of long-term vision and support.

The word ‘Advocacy’ can sound daunting, especially as legislation can feel like massive rock we’re rolling up hill. But, most everyone has access to the internet these days and we need your voice. With a click on a letter, a short note on Facebook or Twitter, you can let your representatives know you are there. Not all of us are able to raise thousands of dollars but, if you are able to share your story with your elected officials, you can be part of raising $150M for the SDP renewal and more, you are raising awareness.

Many of us are introduced to JDRF through a ‘Bag of Hope’, and like some of you, I cried because the reality ahead was daunting. As my family and I moved through the grief and became aware of the possibilities, we found our voice by ‘Clicking’ for hope. There are so many bright and passionate people working on finding a cure, that Im certain, click-by-click, we can turn Type One into Type None.

For more information on the SDP please visit:
http://advocacy.jdrf.org/our-programs/renew-the-sdp/

To sign up for advocacy alerts visit:

http://advocacy.jdrf.org/join-us-2/

Follow & Friend:

Facebook / JDRF Advocacy
Twitter / @JDRFAdvocacy
Instagram / jdrfadvocacy

Lastly, to find your representatives visit:

www.govtrack.us